All frontline police officers should be given Taser stun guns if they want them, the Home Secretary will be told later.

Representatives at the annual Police Federation conference in Bournemouth will tell Theresa May the move is vital in combating the high levels of violence against police officers.

The first study of its kind commissioned by the federation, which represents rank and file police in England and Wales, has revealed more than a third of officers suffer physical violence at least once a month.

The Government first sanctioned the use of the 50,000 volt stun guns by the police in 2004.

In the years since, the weapons - described as a "less lethal" option - have been rolled out to an increasing number of frontline officers, but still only around one in 10 are armed with Tasers.

Police Federation chairman Steve White told Sky News that leaves most officers on frontline duty without an option to carry the stun gun and leaves them vulnerable to attack, especially if they are on their own and there is no back-up nearby.

Mr White said it was now time for all those officers who want to carry Tasers to be allowed to do so.

He will use his annual keynote speech to demand the Home Secretary and police chiefs take action.

The federation's survey of 16,800 officers, carried out in conjunction with the University of Nottingham found six out of 10 wanted to be able to carry a Taser.

The survey also revealed for the first time the high levels of violence and intimidation police have to face as they go about their duties.

The survey found 35%, more than a third of officers in England and Wales, were physically attacked at least once a month.

44% of officers said they were verbally abused and threatened at least once a month.

And over the same period, 6% were assaulted with deadly weapons, including knives, bottles or firearms.

Mr White said: "Those officers who want access to Taser should have it and to be better supported in the workplace, such as being double crewed where it is appropriate to do so.

"But the stretch on resources, and the lack of investment in adequate protective kit means they are being let down time and again."

The Home Secretary, who will also be delivering a speech to the conference, has said any decisions on the wider rollout of Taser should be down to individual chief constables.

Their representative body, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) is not in favour of it.

The NPCC's lead for less lethal weapons, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, said: "We have agreed that the current threat and risk picture in the UK does not justify a rollout of Taser to all officers who volunteer at this time; a rollout of this kind could challenge the UK policing model and the principle of policing by consent.

"However, chief constables make the operational decisions in their force areas and can increase the number of Taser-trained officers if their strategic threat and risk assessments show there is a need."

The Police Federation acknowledges some members of the public have concerns about the use of Tasers, but points to the fact that very few people in the UK have died as a result of being stunned by the weapon.